Not Again
by midnightquaffles
Summary: After S2, there is a car crash in Hope Springs. Jack, age 18, must become 14yearold Fi's legal guardian and try to stop her from exploring the paranormal before Fi is also lost forever. Warning: character death.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own So Weird

The Phillips family was home at Hope Springs after Molly decided to end the tour. So far, things were going as well as they could hope for. Although Molly went back to writing advertising jingles (something neither of her two children were pleased about), her daughter Fiona Phillips, also known as Fi, was no longer exploring the paranormal that drove her family crazy.

Her mother and her brother Jack were pleased about this, but Fi was not. Her gift of finding the paranormal was what made her who she was. It was a part of her. But lately, it seemed as though she had lost herself because the world of the weird had seemed to forget about her ever since she finally got the chance in New York to say goodbye to the father she barely knew. So Fi spent her newfound paranormal-free time hanging out with her friend Candy, or doing other normal teenage activities.

Jack, on the other hand, had no time for the normal teenage activities he enjoyed because he was preparing for college. He was alone in his room, reading for about the trillionth time his acceptance letter to NYU. There, he wanted to become a doctor; a normal profession that paid well and had absolutely nothing to do with the weirdness that fascinated his sister and drove him insane. Oh, how he couldn't wait to be off on his own and not have to worry about his family. It wasn't that Jack didn't care about his mother and sister, it was just that he was always the logical one who had to come up with reasonable solutions to all problems. Why couldn't somebody else be the one to do that? Why him? Yeah, he couldn't wait for those responsibilities to roll off his shoulders so he could focus more on his life than his sisters. Besides, now that Fiona finally seemed to grow out of her interest with the paranormal, she didn't need him as much to look out for her. _Mom and Fi will do fine without me_, he thought.

BOOM. Thunder roared as a fork of lightening lit up the night sky. Rain was pouring so quickly and fiercely that when she took her first step out of the recording studio, Molly Phillips looked as though she had just come out of a swimming pool. Rain drops numbed her body as she hurriedly ran to her car. Freezing, she started the car and turned the heat up. For a few minutes, she just waited for the car to warm-up. Looking out the windshield, Molly could tell that the roads were very slippery and driving would prove to be a challenge. She wanted to wait out the storm, but the car was low on gas so she needed to get home quickly. Why didn't she stop at a gas station before work? Why was no news station able to predict this storm? Sighing, Molly carefully began the drive home. She just wasn't careful enough.

Author's Note: This is my first ever fanfiction, so constructive critisism would be greatly appreciated.


	2. Stormy Night

Disclaimer: I do not own So Weird

At the Phillips home, Jack was growing worried. It was nearly midnight and his mother still wasn't home. It wasn't like her to come home so late without calling first. He looked out the window to see if the rain had let up yet. It hadn't. It was still pouring like crazy.

This worried Jack further; _What if the studio flooded? What if…_ Jack shook his head. He always did this to himself. He would always run worse-case scenarios in his head and then when everything turns out to be fine, he's too stressed out to be relieved. Not this time. His mother was probably fine.

Jack was turned and started to walk to his room when he heard the telephone ring. He quickly answered, hoping it was his mother. "Hello. This is Sergeant Darryl Smith. Is this the home of Molly Phillips?"

"Yes, but she isn't here right now," Jack replied.

"I know. This may be hard for you but there was an accident downtown…" Jack's stomach churned. "…Molly Phillips was found in the ca-"

"Is she alright?" Jack anxiously interrupted.

"I'm afraid not, son," Sergeant Smith was now speaking very slowly, "The car Molly Phillips was in was hit by another car, driven by a drunk driver. The car Ms. Phillips was in hit a tree and flipped over. An ambulance was called, but Ms. Phillips was dead before they even reached the hospital." The officer paused before adding "I am sorry for your loss."

Jack hung up the phone. Flashbacks of the night his dad was in a very similar car accident kept flashing across his mind. He remembered that night perfectly…

**Seven-year-old Jack had been asleep in his room when the sound of an argument woke him up. He heard his mother tell his father something that sounded like "No, you can't keep doing this…. it's getting too dangerous" and his father, Rick replying "I can't stop now, not with what I've seen, with what I know… I have to do this." Silence. Then, Jack heard footsteps walking down the hallway and the front door open and close. Jack went to his window and saw his father getting into the car. This had happened a few times before, but Jack felt, somehow, that this time was different. **

**Hours later, Jack was woken by his mother. it looked like she had been crying. He asked what was wrong and she told him, "Daddy was in an accident."**

"Jack?" Fiona's voice broke through his thoughts, "Who called? Is mom home yet?"

Jack looked at his little sister, who was standing in the hall in her pajamas. How was he supposed to tell her something so terrible?

"Fi…" Jack walked over to where his sister was standing, "That was a call from the police department. Mom's car was hit by a drunk driver. She…. she…d-died." Jack whispered.

Fiona stared at her brother in shock. How could this be happening? She already lost her father, now she lost her mother too? And Jack was leaving in the Fall…. why did everybody keep disappearing?

Fi suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. Her mother couldn't be gone… she just couldn't. Then reality hit her and Fi began to cry for the loss of both her parents. She felt Jack's arms wrap around her in hug. He whispered something in her ear, but Fi wasn't really paying attention. She let Jack try to comfort her, knowing that he was also doing the best he could to comfort himself.

Fiona let her mind wander and remembered when a banshee had haunted her grandfather. The banshee had told her that there was a balance: some die, others live. Was this the balance she was talking about? Fi's grandfather lived, and now her mom was dead? But her dad…. the banshee had said that they had not taken him.

Then Fi remembered when Bricriu, a will o' the wisp, possessed her mom and let it slip that he was the one who caused her father's death. Fiona's heart surged with anger towards the spunkie. It was all Bricriu's fault that her father was dead and if her father hadn't died, Fi guessed that her mother wouldn't have needed to be out working at a job she hated this night and therefore would not have been killed. Fiona vowed to herself that she would find her father. After all, it wasn't his time to die. He still had to be out there somewhere…

Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction. Reviews would be appreciated... I kind of need them to know if I'm doing a good job with the story or not.


	3. Unexpected Visitor

Disclaimer: I do not own So Weird

Jack awoke on the couch the next morning. He and his sister had spent the whole night in the living room sitting in silence, trapped in their own thoughts until they fell asleep. Jack glanced at his sleeping sister before looking at the clock. It was nearly 10:00 AM.

Feeling hungry, he walked into the kitchen. Jack opened the refrigerator door to find only a carton of milk that had gone bad and a box of Yodels. He was rummaging through cabinets to see what food there was in the house when he was joined by Fi. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "Not really," Fiona replied. "Good 'cause there's not much food in the house. It looks like mom for-" He broke off noticing the saddened look on his sister's face.

"I'm sorry. You know what I mean," Jack told her. For a moment, he had almost forgotten that his mother would never go food shopping again. The idea of someone you've seen everyday for your whole life suddenly disappearing forever is not something you get used to easily, Jack realized.

Fiona nodded, but Jack sensed that there was something wrong. Something other than the fact that their mother just died. But before he could ask her about it, the doorbell rang. Jack hesitated for a moment before leaving the kitchen to answer the door.

On his doorstep stood a tall, middle-aged woman holding a clipboard. "Can I help you?" Jack asked. "Yes. I am Margaret Taylor from Social Services. I am here to take the minor," she checked her clipboard, "Fiona Phillips."

Jack's stomach churned. "T-take her?" he stammered. The social worker looked at him coldly. "Yes, take her. I have checked into her files. There are no near-by relatives to take her in and a fourteen-year-old minor cannot live on her own," she said.

"What about me? I could take of her," Jack blurted. The social worker gave him another cold stare before checking her clipboard. "Jack Phillips?" she inquired. Jack nodded, his heart pounding. "You are only eighteen-years-old-- barely an adult, and your file states that you are leaving for college in New York. How do plan on raising a teenager when you're in school so far away?"

Jack's heart skipped a beat. He had never thought about any of this. Then again, he never had to think about any of this before now. "I-I won't go to college. I can get a job around here," Jack said hurriedly.

Ms. Taylor raised her eyebrows. "You don't sound very sure about this," she said softly. "I am!" Jack exclaimed. He took in a deep breath before saying, "I lost my father when I was a child, I just lost my mother…. please don't make me lose my baby sister, too."

Ms. Taylor gave him another stare, this one gentle and said, "Very well, Mr. Phillips. Under certain conditions, you may become the legal guardian of Fiona Phillips," she paused before adding, "I will be back in a week to drop of the paperwork." With that, the social worker departed.

Jack closed the door, thinking about what just happened. Did he really just give up his chance at a normal life to take care of his little sister who 24 hours ago he couldn't wait to get away from? Did he really just decide in a split-second to abandon his college education? Sighing, Jack knew he was doing the right thing. He just wished that it didn't require so much from him.

Fiona entered the room. "Who were you talking to?" she asked. "That was a social worker," Jack told her, "Her name was Ms. Taylor. Get used to her, 'cause we'll definitely be seeing her again. She's coming back next week to drop off paperwork."

"Paperwork for what?" Fi inquired. "Paperwork for me becoming your legal guardian," Jack said.

Fi could not believe what her brother was telling her. "Why you? Why not Aunt Melinda or Aunt Rachel?" she asked. "Aunt Melinda already has the twins to take care of; I don't think she'd have the time or energy to take care of you, too. And as for Aunt Rachel… well, considering last time you stayed with her you nearly fell off a rooftop I don't think she'd be that eager to have you around all the time. So either I become your legal guardian, or you go to Social Services, which I won't let happen," Jack explained.

"But you're going to college in the Fall. You can't wait to get out of here," Fi told him, her voice shaking. "I won't go to college," Jack said, forcing his voice to be calm, "I can get a job around here and I'll work two jobs if we need money that badly. We can make this work."

"Why would you do that?" Fi asked. "Because you're my little sister and I love you," Jack gently told her. Fi smiled and hugged him, glad that she had such a caring brother.

Author's note: This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm aware that the story so far isn't exactly great, so constuctive critisism would be greatly appreciated.


	4. Mourning

Disclaimer: I do not own So Weird

The next day was Molly's funeral. It was very small with only family members and the Bell family. Jack wasn't paying much attention to what the priest was saying as his mother's body was lowered into the grassy earth. He was focusing his mind on something, anything else as to not let any tears fall. He couldn't cry in front of his sister. She needed him to be strong for her. He couldn't fall apart… not when she had.

Fiona couldn't help but sob. Her father died when she was three… she couldn't even remember him. But less than a month ago, when she was in New York she finally got to meet him, if only for a moment. And now her mother was gone. It wasn't fair; right after she got over her father's death, the next most important person in her life is taken from her life forever.

_It shouldn't be like this_, Fi thought as tears rolled down her cheeks. Fi meant a lot of things by this. She meant that her mother should still be alive… that her father should never have died… that Jack shouldn't have to give up college for her… that the Bells should still live next door… that the Phillips-Kane Band should still be playing together…

Jack's hand gently touching her shoulder pulled Fi out of her thoughts. Her mother had been buried and everybody was heading towards their cars to give Jack and Fi time alone at their mothers grave.

Fi couldn't think of anything to say, and even if she could, she was crying too much to say it. So Jack told her to go wait with the Bells and family. Once Fi was out of earshot, Jack made his mother a promise:

"I know you used to worry about Fi a lot, but don't worry. I'll take care of her and look out for her and protect her in any way I can. I promise," Jack swore on his mothers grave. Tears began to leak through his eyes. "I love you," he whispered. Jack then closed his eyes, took a deep breath and stopped crying before he walked away to join his remaining family.

A few hours later, people arrived at the Phillips house to pay their respects. These people were the Bells, Molly's parents, Aunt Melinda and her kids, Maggie and Miranda (a.k.a. the "twin tornadoes"), Aunt Rachel, John Kane, and a few people Jack and Fi didn't know who claimed to be old friends of Molly.

Carey, Clu, Jack, and Fi were huddled in a circle away from the adults. "We're sorry about your mom," Carey told the two siblings. "Yeah, it's a bummer," Clu added. For a moment, there was an awkward silence. It was broken by Jack, who changed the conversation to, "Hey, why'd you guys move, anyway?"

"Well, mom's a manager… you know, she manages people who need managing. And in case you haven't noticed… there aren't many people who need managing here in Hope Springs…" Clu started. Carey broke in with, "What this goofball is trying to say is that there aren't many jobs she could get around here. The best place to find a job managing bands is in L.A. So that's where mom and dad decided to move."

Fi looked up at the Bell brothers and asked, "Will we still be able to keep in touch?" "Of course," they said in unison .

"You can't get rid of us that easily, Fi," Clu told her, "We'll be in town for the next week or so." "You can stay here if you'd like," Jack offered.

"Seriously? Thanks, dude," Clu gratefully accepted. "Nah, I'm staying with a friend who's in a band and I'm hoping to get a job playing with them. Thanks anyway, though," Carey said.

The rest of the day was slow and uneventful. Jack and Fi went around talking quietly with relatives, sharing memories of Molly's past. Everyone finally began to leave around 4:00 P.M. Aunt Melinda and her kids were the last people to leave. "Fiona, could I have a word with you?" Aunt Melinda asked.

The two went into Fi's room. Aunt Melinda turned to face Fi and placed her hands on her shoulders, gently telling her, "I know how much this is affecting you, but don't…" she sighed and turned away from Fi for a moment, "Do you still have that book I gave you?"

"The book from Macbeth? Yeah, it's in my closet," Fi told her, a confused expression on her face.

"That book… never read it unless you know what it is you are reading," Aunt Melinda cryptically warned. Fi stood, staring at her, puzzled. Aunt Melinda walked towards the door. "Wait!" Fi called out, "What do you mean?" Aunt Melinda paused in the doorway, not looking at her niece. "When the time has come, you will know. Good luck." With that, she exited the room without glancing back at a bewildered Fiona.

Author's Note: Once again... this is my first fanfiction. Please, someone leave a review to give me a little feedback to let me know if I should continue or not.


	5. A Long Night

**Disclaimer:** I have not ever and (unfortunately) will not ever own So Weird.

Jack found himself in a dim, cold, long hallway. The only light came from torches lit on the stone walls. Jack looked around the strange place and saw old photographs on the walls of his relatives from his mother's side of the family. As Jack began to walk down the lengthy hallway, he saw a picture that made him stop in his tracks. It was a picture of his parents, taken not long after they had met. Jack reached out his hand to touch it, but right before his fingertips touched the surface of the picture frame, it all faded away.

Jack awoke from his dream dripping with sweat and panting heavily. _What was that about?_ he wondered, his mind on the dream. He looked at his alarm clock and discovered that it was 3:00AM. Jack untangled himself from his sheets and left his room to take a shower.

A few minutes later, Jack emerged from the bathroom. Not wanting to try to go back to sleep, he turned to go into the living room so he could watch television. He only took a few steps before he realized that he couldn't watch T.V. because Clu was sleeping on the living room couch. Sighing, Jack changed direction towards his room. He hadn't taken more than two steps when a bluish light shining through the crack under Fi's door caught his attention.

He automatically went to his sister's door and softly knocked. After getting no response, he opened the door and walked inside. The sight that greeted him was his little sister at her desk, sleeping on the keyboard of her laptop. The light Jack saw was coming from the laptop, which was at a website about…

"The paranormal," Jack quietly groaned. He had thought his sister had just gotten over it. That she had finally entered the world of reality and had acknowledged that there were no such thing as UFO's or ghosts or whatever else she had claimed to see. That she had at last realized that there really is a logical explanation for everything. But apparently, Fi has gotten herself into a another little adventure involving the world of the weird.

Jack extended his arm, about to shake his sister awake before thinking better of it. If he woke her up to tell her to go to bed, it would only mean that Fi would stay awake all night doing research on who knows what. So Jack put one arm under his sisters knees and his other arm around her back and carried Fi to her bed. He then walked back to the laptop to turn it off.

"Jack," Fi's tired voice called him back. "Yeah?" Jack responded as he walked back to his sisters bed.

"What t-time is it?" Fi asked through a yawn as she sat up in her bed. "It's three in the mourning; go back to sleep," Jack whispered.

"Then why are you awake?" Fi curiously questioned.

"I had a weird dream and it woke me up. So I took a shower to relax and I was about to go back to my room when I saw a light coming from in here; You fell asleep at your laptop," Jack told her.

"You were at a website about the paranormal," Jack continued, "I thought you were finished with that. What were you researching?"

Fi looked away from her brother. She knew if she told Jack what she was up to, he would either laugh at her and tell her she was being stupid, or get angry with her and they'd have another fight over whether the paranormal realm existed or not.

"Fi? Come on, tell me what's going on," Jack pleaded.

Fi's eyes met his and she asked, "Do you ever think about what life would be like if dad were alive?"

Jack looked at his little sister in confusion. _What does dad have to do with anything?_ he wondered.

Tears came to Fiona's eyes as she said, "Well, I think about it a lot. And I think I found a way to find him; to bring him back home."

Jack swallowed the lump that had risen to his throat. "Fiona… we've been over this. Dad's dead. He won't come back. He can't come back."

"Yes he can!" Fi shouted, "It wasn't his time to die. He should still be here. He _can_ still be here!"

"No he can't!" Jack told her angrily, "Why do you have to keep doing this? Why can't you just move on with your life?"

Before Fi could respond, the two siblings were interrupted by Clu. Yawning as he walked through the door, Clu tiredly said, "It's four in the morning. What were you guys screaming about so early?"

"Nothing," Jack responded in an annoyed tone, "Sorry if we woke you. Good night." With that, Jack left the room.

Clu turned to Fi. "What's up with him?"

Fi used her hand to wipe away her tears before quietly telling him, "We… uh… had another fight. He got mad at me because I told him that I think I found a way to bring my father back."

"Back from the dead?" Clu asked. Fi nodded silently. "Awesome!" Clu exclaimed, "Hey, if you need any help with the spirit world, count me in!"

Fi smiled. While Clu might not be the brightest person on earth, Fi was glad to have somebody on her side.

Clu yawned, "…Just not tonight. I'm going back to bed." He retreated from the room, calling "Goodnight" over his shoulder.

Fi laid back in bed and instantly fell into a peaceful sleep the moment her head touched the pillow.

Author's Note: In two short words, please review.


	6. The Plan

**Disclaimer:** I do not own So Weird.

Jack found himself once again in the long, dim hallway. It was as cold as ever. Shivering, Jack wished he was wearing a coat. He strode down the hallway quickly, hoping to find a way into another room. A billowing curtain caught his attention. If it was moving, Jack figured, it must lead to another place. So he pulled it back, and to his surprise found, not a room, but a knight. Or rather, a suit of armor belonging to a knight. This suit of armor seemed oddly familiar to Jack. He took a step closer to get a better look at it...

Jack woke up, once again, panting and sweating in the middle of the night. This was the fifth night in a row that he had this strange dream, although each night the dream slightly changed. By now, Jack had learned to pay little attention to something as trivial as a dream, so he rolled over and went back to, thankfully, a dreamless sleep.

Fiona awoke the next morning to the sound of Clu singing along to some obnoxious song that was blasting on the radio. Fi quickly showered and went into the kitchen.

Jack was sitting at the kitchen table, holding a pen and looking down at a piece of paper. Fi peered over his shoulder and discovered a grocery shopping list.

"If you want me to buy anything else, add it to the list now. I'm leaving in five minutes," Jack told her. His voice was icy and he looked exhausted.

"Jack, are you okay?" Fi asked, worried. Jack sighed, "I'm fine, I just haven't had much sleep the past few days."

"How come?"

"Just this weird dream," Jack said, regretting saying it immediately afterward.

"Weird dream? About what? Was it another little kid with a monster?" Fi asked, interested, remembering the last time Jack had a nightmare.

"No," Jack firmly told her, "If you insist on knowing, my dream was about a castle. Well, a hallway in a castle. It's all cold and dim and I'm searching for something, but each time I dream about it I find something different. There are all these pictures and family heirlooms from mom's side of the family…"

Fi's eyes widened. "I know that place," she whispered. That was the place the banshee had taken her when she fought for her grandfather's life. How did it get into Jack's head?

Jack noticed the look on his sister's face. "Oh no," he told her, "Don't you go making some kind of case that this has something to do with the paranormal. It was _just_ a dream!"

Fi was about to argue, but thought better of it. She shrugged her shoulders and nonchalantly replied, "Whatever you say, Jack."

Fi went to her room and logged onto her So Weird Web Page using her laptop. She posted a comment concerning visions within dreams, confident that she would soon get a reply.

While waiting for that reply, Fi decided to do a little more research on the mission she hoped to accomplish. About a week ago, somebody had anonymously sent her an e-mail, linking her to a website. The website contained information on space warps that connected to other dimensions. Although they are most commonly found in black holes in outer space, space warps could be found anywhere. In theory, one would be able to leave their dimension and enter another, where their lives would be different. This would be very risky as you could kill your dimension self or other-dimension self.

Fiona knew that there was an abandoned warehouse in town that was rumored to close after one-by-one workers kept mysteriously disappearing. Fi was willing to bet anything that there was a space warp to another dimension somewhere in that warehouse.

Fi's plan was to break into the warehouse, find the space warp, enter another dimension where her father exists, convince him to come with her, and bring him back into her dimension. She knew it wasn't the perfect plan and that there were many things that could go wrong, but Fi didn't care. She needed her father and she was willing to do anything to get him back.

When Jack came home, he asked Fi to help in carry in the bags of groceries. She complied and went outside to the car when something caught her eye. The newspaper was still lying outside, but that wasn't what bothered Fiona. What bothered Fi was an article entitled: Abandoned Warehouse to be Torn Down. Fi picked up the paper and began to read the article:

"The warehouse on Old Mill Road that has been abandoned for nearly fifteen years will soon be torn down to make room for a new real estate development. Construction will begin on September 8.…"

Fi stopped reading. September eighth… that was only a few days away. Fi knew that she would have to put her plan into action soon, before it was too late.

That night, Fi decided, would be _the_ night. She would go through with her plan while she still had the courage. She waited patiently inside her room, listening carefully to see when her brother would go to sleep. She knew Jack would never in a million years approve of what she was about to do. But that wouldn't stop her.

The house was very quiet, so Fi naturally assumed that Jack and Clu were both asleep. She crept into the dark living room as quietly as she could. Clu was snoring rather loudly on the couch. Fi whispered his name as she shook his shoulder. Clu screamed as he woke up.

"Ah! Fi, what're you doing?" he yelled.

"Shhh! Clu, you said you wanted in on the paranormal adventure, well, the adventure starts now. Now shut up and come on!" Fi quietly told him.

"Uhh, Fi, when I said that, I kinda meant I'm in a paranormal adventure when I'm actually awake…"

"Good thing I woke you, then," Fi joked.

"Where we goin'?" Clu asked as he sat up and pulled his shoes on.

"We're sneaking into an abandoned warehouse to find a warp into a different dimension. I'll explain everything else later whe-"

"You're not going anywhere!" Jack interrupted. Apparently he was woken up by Clu's scream. "It's three in the morning and this town has a curfew. You want to break that curfew to trespass on privet property to enter a dangerous warehouse? There's no way I'm letting you do that."

"Right, like you can actually stop me!" Fi bitterly spat.

"Actually, I can stop you. Before I went food shopping today, I ran into that social worker. She had the papers for me to become your legal guardian and I signed them. By law you have to do as I say" Jack informed her.

"A piece of paper doesn't prove anything! It doesn't make you dad!" Fi yelled.

Clu looked between the two feuding siblings. Fi looked angry and resentful. Jack appeared to be frustrated and hurt by his sister's comment.

"What, you think I don't know that? I'm not trying to be like dad!" Jack exclaimed, his voice slightly cracking, "I'm just trying to look out for you. Why is it so hard for you to just trust me for once in your life?"

Fi ignored her brother and turned to Clu, "Come on, we're going".

Jack was shocked. "Fi, you can't be serious. This is illegal. If you two get caught, Clu , you could go to jail. And Fi… I'm legally responsible for you. I could be fined and you could be sent to some sort of orphanage!" Jack said.

Fi knew that this was something she had to do. She wasn't about to let her big brother stop her. She walked to the door and motioned for Clu to follow.

After seeing his little sister and his best friend leave, Jack knew he would once again have to follow them and make sure Fi didn't get hurt. Jack changed into fresh clothes and ran outside to catch up with the other two. He knew that this would be a highly eventful night.

Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update; I've been sick and I've had a lot of school work recently. Anyway, this was so far my favorite chapter to write, so I hope you've enjoyed it!


	7. The Warehouse

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _So Weird_

After a long walk accompanied by Jack's warnings and complaints, they finally reached the warehouse. By the light of the moon, they could tell the old place was falling apart. Shingles were missing from the rooftop. Some windows were cracked, and most of them were boarded up. The yard surrounding it was nothing but dirt with menacing bulldozers and construction equipment in the background.

Excited of what awaited within the old building, Fi hurried inside and the other two followed. By the dim light of the flashlight, Fiona could tell why the old warehouse would be torn down. The large room held nothing but old crates covered in dust and smelling of sawdust. The only sign of life in the gloomy place were the spiders, scuttling away from the faint light.

Or at least, that was the only sign of life until Fi heard a strange moaning coming from somewhere above her. "Did you guys hear that?" she asked, excited.

"Yeah!" Clu exclaimed, "What do you think it is: ghost, banshee, or… something else?"

Fi's flashlight lit the way onto a staircase. "Only one way to find out," she whispered as she began the ascent.

"Fiona, are you out of your mind? Those stairs are ancient, look at them. They might not support us and we could all get seriously hurt," Jack told her.

"So 'we' won't go, I'll go. You guys can stay here and keep a look-out incase a cop or somebody shows up," Fi said.

"Fi!" Jack called, but it was too late. Fiona was already halfway up the rickety stairs.

By the time Fi reached the top of the stairs, the moaning had died down as had the battery of her flashlight. She was now alone in the darkness, but Fi didn't turn back.

"Hello?" she called, "Is anyone there? Keep talking, I'm listening!"

Suddenly, something out of the darkness grabbed her ankle. Fi screamed and shook herself free from the grasp. Jack and Clu both appeared behind her and their flashlights shone across the floor. Sprawled in the center of the dusty floor was Carey Bell.

"Dude, what happened?" Clu asked as his flashlight shone on his brother's face.

"I d-dunno," he stammered as he tried to pick himself up off the floor, "Me and the guys were just hanging out and… oh, God, my ankle's killing me!"

Clu helped him up. "What happened to your ankle?" Jack asked.

"I think I twisted it coming up the stairs," Carey responded.

"Why are you even here?" Clu asked his brother.

"You know how I told you that the guy I'm staying with is in a band? Well, tonight the band came over and we were just hanging out. One of the guys thought it would be a cool idea to explore this place since it'll be gone soon. I turned around to look at one of the boxes for, like, a second and then… they were gone. I saw the stairs and thought they might have hidden up here just to freak me out, so I looked up here and ended up twisting my ankle."

"When you say 'gone', you mean they vanished into nowhere?" Fi asked.

"Sounds more like they ditched you," Clu said before Carey could reply.

"Okay, we came here and nothing weird happened. Can we go now?" Jack impatiently asked.

"Is that why you guys were here, another paranormal adventure? Sorry to disappoint you, Fi, but nothing weird is going on here. I'm with Jack, let's go," Carey said.

"B--but what about…" Fi trailed off as tears came to her eyes. She came here to find her father, not Carey. She came her to get to the paranormal realm, not hang around an old warehouse.

Sighing, Fi followed the guys down the rickety staircase. While Jack and Clu were busy helping Carey out of the warehouse, Fi took her final chance to investigate. She needed to prove to herself that there was something strange about this place.

Fi walked along the side of the walls, feeling her way through the darkness with her now useless flashlight. She began to hear some strange mumbling coming from somewhere inside the wall. Fi pressed her ear against the wall, hoping to hear more. She ran her hand along the wall, searching for anything unusual.

Suddenly, the wall seemed to move. Fi jumped back in suprise as four guys fell out from somewhere beyond the wall. The sound they made as they crashed to the floor caught Jack's attention. He was at his sister's side in an instant to interragate the mysterious men.

As they stood up, Fi looked at the wall. There was an opening, revealing a type of basement with old skeletons resting in the corner. Fi wasn't even interested in hearing about how the four guys got there. It didn't matter; it wouldn't bring her any closer to finding her father. In fact, it felt as though she was further away from him than ever.

It turned out that the four guys were from the band Carey wanted to join. They were all young guys in their twenties with dreams of becoming famous. They seemed pretty freaked out from being trapped in that basement so long, but not one of them was capable of explaining how they got there. They rushed out of the warehouse as quickly as possible, pausing only to tell Carey that he can be in their band if he auditions when his ankle heals.

Heartbroken, Fi followed Jack, Clu, and Carey home.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I had serious writers block with this story and was considering abandoning it, but then I got a review, so I had to write another chapter :) 


	8. Back to School

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _So Weird_.

The next day, Fi had the house to herself since Jack went to a job interview and Clu took Carey to a doctor to examine his ankle. Fi spent the time of solitude cleaning out her room.

After the previous night's events, it became clear to Fiona that the paranormal realm wanted nothing to with her any more. Well, that was just fine by her. Fiona Phillips was through with being mocked, laughed at, and being considered by many to be a freak. She was through with staying up all night doing research with no benefit to herself. She was through with annoying everybody by trying to be helpful. She was through with putting herself and her family at risk. Fiona Phillips was through with the paranormal.

She had told all of this to herself first when her mom decided to end the tour. But that was different. Then, Fi was just trying to make things easier on everyone else. Now, she was just trying to make things easier on herself.

"Stupid," Fi muttered to herself as she packed up her favorite stuffed alien in a cardboard box. She took down her poster of UFOs, replacing it with a LFO (Lyte Funky Ones) poster. She completed her task of ridding her room of any evidence of her former fascination just as Jack came home.

"Hey Fi, guess what!" Jack shouted as he stuck his head through her doorway. Upon seeing the redecoration, his face changed from excitement to bewilderment. "What happened to your room?" he asked.

"Nothing," Fi shrugged, "I was just got rid of some old junk that I don't really need any more. Would you mind helping me move these boxes to the attic?"

"Uhh… sure," Jack replied, confused, "Haven't you gone through this whole 'I'm-done-with-the-paranormal phase already and failed?"

Fi glared at him. "This is different," she told him, "This time I mean it."

They carried the boxes to the attic in silence.

"So… how'd the interview go?" Fi asked as she dropped the box she was carrying on the hard wood floor.

Jack's face lit up. "I think it went pretty well. The woman who interviewed me seemed impressed. They should call sometime in the near future to let me know," Jack told her.

"What job are you trying to get anyway?" Fi asked him.

"Photographer for a newspaper"

"How do you go from wanting to be a doctor to a photographer?"

Jack looked at her seriously, "Fi… it's not about what I want to do; it's about what I have to do. A doctor is what I wanted for a career. Photography is just a job I need for some money."

"Do you even know anything about photography?"

Jack smiled at his sister, "You'd be surpised. I've always been fascinated pictures; I just considered photography to be nothing more than a hobby until now."

A door slamming from somewhere else in the house interrupted the two siblings. Jack and Fi rushed downstairs to find an angry Carey on crutches standing next to Clu, who was saying, "Dude, it's not that bad."

"How was the doctor's?" Jack asked.

"Great," Carey replied sarcastically, "First they tortured me while taking X-Rays, then I got to sit in the waiting room for, like, two hours, and then they gave me these fun crutches! Argghh... I hate this. Turns out that I broke my ankle pretty badly and now I have to wear this stupid boot thing on my foot and I can't stay at the apartment with the guys because there are too many stairs to get up there."

"So stay here," Jack offered, "Besides, it's not like this is permanent; you'll only be on crutches for a few weeks and then your life will be back to normal... unless you need physical therapy."

Carey looked at him. "Physical therapy... you mean more torture?"

Jack laughed, "Relax. It can't be that bad and chances are that you probably won't even need it."

The truth was that Jack was secretly glad that Carey needed a place to stay since Clu would soon be leaving for college. As long as one of the Bells were here, it was almost like Molly's car accident never happened. It still felt like Molly was working on a jingle at the studio and Carey and Clu were just hanging out as usual. But once Clu went back to college and Carey went on tour with his new band, it would just be him and Fi. Jack wasn't sure he could handle that.

* * *

A couple days passed and Clu left for college. Carey was still upset over his ankle and found crutches to be rather annoying, but he was getting used to it just like he was getting used to staying at the Phillips house. Jack got the job of a photographer for the Hope Springs Newspaper and spent most of his time in what used to be the linen closet and was now a dark room. And as for Fi, she was busy preparing for her first day of a new school year. 

"Fi, you're going to be late!" Jack called from down the hall.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Fi yelled back as she hurried to do her hair and makeup. This was a pretty big day for her. This would be her first time in high school. Sure she was a sophomore this year, but this year she would be in an actual school with classrooms and lockers and other students instead of on a tour bus being tutored by Ned.

An hour later, Fi was standing nervously in front of the huge brick building. "Fi!" a familiar voice called. She turned around to find her best friend Candy. Fi's relief was soon replaced with dismay as the two girls discovered that they had completely different schedules. The day only got worse from there.

First, Fi accidentally walked into the wrong classroom so by the time she got to the right room, she was late. The elderly teacher looked at her with narrow eyes saying, "Don't make a habit of showing up to this class late!" _So much for a good first impression_, Fi thought.

Then, Fi had to spent two minutes struggling to open her locker. After that, she went to History class without any problems, but afterwards she had English where Fi ended up sitting all the way in the back of the classroom; she had always preferred to sit up in the front.

Then it was finally time for lunch. The cafeteria was packed and Fi's heart sank when she couldn't find a place to sit. What had happened to all her friends from grammar school?

Then Fi recognized a seemingly young girl sitting by herself. She approached the girl and asked, "Excuse me, but are you--"

"Fi!" Rebecca exclaimed, answering Fi's unfinished question, "I was hoping to run into you. I wanted to come to Molly's funeral, but my parents wouldn't let me. It was hard enough convincing them to move here."

"So you live here now?" Fi asked as she sat down at the table beside her mother's former best friend.

"Yeah. I wanted to see you..." she looked around the cafeteria to see if anyone was listening in, "It's about the paranormal."

Fi frowned. "Oh... I can't help you."

"Huh? But Fi, you have to."

"No I don't. I'm done with that stuff. I just want to be normal for awhile."

"How long is a while?"

"I don't know. Maybe a year, maybe forever..."

Rebecca sighed. "Look, we can't talk about this here, but we have to talk. Can I come over your house later?"

Fi didn't know how to answer. On one hand, she didn't want to get involved with anything supernatural but unfortunately Rebecca _was_ supernatural. On the other hand, she did want to hang out with somebody other than Candy for a change. She finally responded with, "I don't see why not, but you aren't talking me out of this."

Rebecca smiled and jokingly said, "We'll see about that!"

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks so much to those who reviewed!


	9. Old Friends

**Disclaimer:** Never have and never will own _So Weird_.

After school, Fiona and Rebecca entered the Phillips home to find Carey laying on the couch, watching television. He looked up at them when the sound of the door closing caught his attention.

"You made a new friend already?" he asked, surprised.

"Not exactly. This is Rebecca; her family and mine have known each other for awhile." she explained since Carey had not been present when Fi, Jack, and Clu spied on Rebecca to find out her true identity.

"Where's your laptop?" Rebecca asked Fi.

"In my room. Follow me."

When they went into Fi's bedroom, Rebecca's reaction was similar to Jacks.

"Wow. Your room... it's so _normal_. Not at all what I'd expect from a person like you," she said.

"I told you already; That part of my life is over. I'm not into the paranormal anymore. My room is normal because _I'm_ normal."

"Is that why you haven't checked your web page?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah, I was gonna take that stupid site down, but I forgot."

"Don't take it down, I left you a message there!"

Fi stared at her blankly.

"Hellooo... you posted a comment about Jack having dreams about a castle, remember?"

"Yeah, but... hey wait a minute, I never posted anything that said it was Jack's dream!" Fi said as she wondered how Rebecca could have possibly known about it.

"I know," she took a dramatic pause, "That's why I'm here. You see--"

"Forget it. I already know what the dream's about."

"You do?" Rebecca asked excitedly.

"Yeah. It means Jack needs to see a shrink," Fi said as Rebecca's face fell, "I always thought he was looney tunes," she added as an afterthought.

Rebecca sat on Fi's bed as she muttered, "Oh no... this is bad."

"You're right," Fi agreed, "If Jack gets sent to the nut house, I could be put into foster care."

Rebecca glared at her, not at all amused. "This isn't funny!" the ancient girl exclaimed, "You-- you're not who you're supposed to be!"

"What do you mean?" Fi asked, baffled.

"This... this isn't you. You're not... something must have happened, gone wrong..." Rebecca said, more to herself than to Fiona.

Fi rolled her eyes. She felt like she was in some sort of bogus movie. _Not who you're supposed to be_, Fi silently mocked her late mother's former friend, _Oh puh-lease. What's that supposed to mean, anyway? I'm no different than I was a year ago. The way I spend my time is all that's changed. Why is she making such a big deal out of it?_

"Fi, do you... feel any different?" Rebecca asked.

"No, I'm fine!" Fi snapped, "I just thought we were gonna hang out. If you wanna talk about something weird, then just get out of here and find somebody who cares."

Rebecca looked like she was on the verge of tears, "But Fi..." she weakly attempted to reason with the girl she considered a friend, "This is important; you're the only one--"

"Get out!" Fi shouted, cutting off Rebecca. She suddenly felt anger coursing through every vein in her body. Who did Rebecca think she was, waltzing into her home, acting like she owned the place, acting like she knew everything about... well, everything!

Rebecca gathered her school books and walked towards the door. She stopped only to look back to Fi and say, "You can't run from this, you know,". Then she left.

Once the source of her anger had vanished, Fi instantly regretted what she had said. She knew that Rebecca was only trying to help her. But still... why was it that once Fi had freed herself from the whirlpool that was the paranormal, the world tried to suck her back in?

* * *

Jack had just walked in the door when he bumped into Rebecca. He was about to greet her, but before she started talking before he got the chance. 

"Jack, thank goodness you're here!" Rebecca exclaimed.

"Um... hi. It's nice to see you, but what are you talking about?" He asked, trying to be as polite as he could.

"Something's wrong with Fi..."

"What do mean, is she okay?" Jack asked, his attention fully riveted.

"I... I don't think so," Rebecca hesitated, unsure of what to tell someone as ignorant of the paranormal as Jack, "... she's just not acting like herself lately. Jack, I'm worried about her. I'm worried about you, too, for that matter--"

"Worried about me, why?" Jack asked, bewildered.

"Fi told me about the dreams you've been having and--"

"Rebecca, I appreciate that you're trying to help, but we don't need it," Jack said as he became annoyed at his sister for spilling his secret, "Fi and I are good. I know Fi's been acting even weirder than usual, but she'll be fine. And quite frankly, what goes on in my head is none of yours, or Fi's, or anybody else's business."

Rebecca bit her lower lip. This was nothing at all like what she had planned. "Just look out for her... she needs you." she paused before adding, "I'll see you guys around."

* * *

Meanwhile, Fiona was on her laptop, debating whether or not to read Rebecca's message before taking down her _So Weird Web Page_. But before she had arrived at a decision, a familiar ball of light appeared in her computer screen. 

_Great, _Fi sarcastically thought, _This is just what I need right now, another _friend_ from the spirit world_.

"Ahh... nice to see you again, little duck," the spunkie named Bricriu greeted her.

"What do you want?" Fi angrily spat. She still hadn't forgiven Bricriu for the number of atrocities he had caused, including pulling her father from his body before his time and leaving her and her mother locked in a burning warehouse.

"I have a message from yer father--"

"My father? Yeah, right," she scoffed.

"You don't believe me? Aww, I'm hurt," the spunkie said as Fi rolled her eyes.

"Why should I believe you? All you've ever done is lie and hurt my family! I bet you threw a party after you found out my mom died."

"Why, you're an angry little duck today, aren't you? Now, are you going to let me tell you the message or not?"

"First answer me something," she responded, "What happened... I mean, why did you and everyone else from the spirit world desert me?"

"That's why I came here. You see, when you bid your dear father farewell that day in New York, you closed the door that connected you and him. You can no longer access the spirit world."

"Well, you're here aren't you? How come I can talk to you, but not my dad?" Fiona asked.

"I am bound to you. Incase you haven't forgotten, you know my one true name and therefore have power over me." Bricriu said, "Anyway, do you still have that book with the magic spells?"

"You mean the one that caused a dragon to attack me? Yeah, I have it, but I'm not reading it," Fi responded.

"Fine. It's your lost," the will o' the wisp responded. Fi wasn't fooled by the nonchalant tone of the spunkie.

"What do you want me to do?" Fiona sighed, figuring that she might as well hear what Bricriu wanted her for.

"You and your _dear _brother are in danger. Yer father's been trying to protect you, but he can't do that forever," Bricriu informed her.

"Why not?"

"Just 'cause yer dead doesn't mean yeh can't get hurt!"

"Hurt by who?" Fi questioned.

"Haven't we been through this enough already?" the spunkie cried, "There are spirits in the other world who want to harm you and they'll injure your father's soul to do it. They're jealous of the living. Especially the living who are nosy like you!"

"That's what my father told me," Fi murmured to herself.

"So will you read the incantation from the book?"

"What will it do?" Fi asked.

"It will simply disconnect you from the spirit world forever. 'Tis the only way to keep yourself and your brother safe."

As Fi walked to her closet to get the Celtic book, she remembered her Aunt Melinda's words and thought this over. On one hand, she had already decided to give up on the paranormal and she didn't want to put Jack at risk, especially when he had been so nice to her recently. On the other hand, saying this spell would mean that she really would never speak to her father until she died and entered the spirit world...

"Hey, wait a minute!" Fi said as she set the book down at her desk, "I thought you said that the door to the spirit world had already locked me out?" she said, questioningly.

"So, you're a smart little duck... pity," the spunkie said mischievously, "I guess I'll just have to do this the hard way, then."

Before Fiona could really grasp the moment, she found herself surrounded in darkness.

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took so long to update. I've finally finished an outline for this story, so it shouldn't take me _so_ long to update.


	10. Where's Fi?

**Dislaimer:** I don't own _So Weird_, Disney does.

Jack thought about what Rebecca had told him and decided to check on his sister to make sure she was doing alright. He peered his head through his sister's doorway to find nothing out of the ordinary. Fiona was sitting calmly at her desk, with her laptop open in front of her.

"What's up?" she asked casually.

"Uh, nothing," Jack said, slightly startled. From what Rebecca had said, he thought Fi would be in a bad mood, but she seemed fine.

"Watcha doin'?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

"Taking down the So Weird Webpage," she replied.

"So it's official, then?" Jack asked as he walked into the room, "You giving up on weird stuff, I mean."

"Yup."

Now, Jack could see what Rebecca meant. Fiona's nonchalant tone worried him. He knew that she wanted to be a normal kid, and he was glad that his sister had decided to check into the world of reality, but she just wasn't the same. At least when she was exploring the paranormal, she was excited and her whole face lit up and there was a glint of determination in her eye to figure things out... she was happy.

"What?" Fi asked as Jack realized that he was hovering over her shoulder.

"Look," Jack sighed, "I'm worried about you. I know that we haven't really talked about Mom's death or anything, but maybe we should."

"What gives you that idea?" Fi asked, suspiciously.

"Because ever since mom died, you've been acting weirder than usual. I mean, before mom was killed, you decided to give up on the paranormal, but after the crash you went back to it and then after making me chase after you to a warehouse you say that you're giving it up for good." Jack sighed, "Listen... the first couple weeks after dad died, every night after mom put you to bed she would stay up with me and we would talk..." his voice trailed off as he saw Fiona roll her eyes.

"What?" he asked, beginning to get frustrated, "I'm just trying to be nice to you. Why do you gotta act like that? I'm starting to think Rebecca's right; you're not acting like yourself."

"_I'm_ not acting like myself? Well, you're no better. Ever since mom died you've been a complete control freak!"

"That one time when you wanted to go to the warehouse and I told you not to? That one incident makes me a control freak?"

"It wasn't just that one time! I'm so sick of you... all these years whenever I went out to solve a mystery, you always taunted me and then played hero, acting like you were trying to look out for me. What do you think you are-- a knight in shining armor?" Fi glared at him evilly before continuing, "Cause you're not. You've just been jealous that mom always took my side and dad contacted me instead of you. All this time you denied that he was there, but he was and you knew it. You just chose to ignore it. You're a liar; for years you've been telling me to check into Hotel Reality while you're the one who's been living in a fantasy world, ignoring what's right in front of you! Well, I hope you're happy because you've finally got what you wanted, whether you still want it or not. I'm done with the paranormal."

Jack was speechless and at a complete loss. He had no clue why his sister had become so cold and cruel or how she knew that he had always known she was right but just didn't want her to be. All he knew was that if mom were still here, and Fiona talked to her like that, the result would be the two most feared words a teenager could ever hear: "You're grounded."

When he said this to Fi, she just laughed, "Good one. Like you actually think I'll listen to you."

"You don't have a choice but to listen to me," Jack said as he grabbed her laptop, "I'm you're legal guardian and have complete authority over you so for the next two weeks, you're not going on your laptop and your not leaving the house except for school."

"How do you know I won't sneak out?"

"B-because..." he said as he left the room, closing the door behind him. He was completely oblivious to the laughter emitting from the mouth of Fiona Phillips. But it wasn't the laugh of Jack's sister. It was the laugh of a certain Scottish spirit, amused that Jack didn't have a clue that he had fallen into a perfectly planned trap.

* * *

Soon after leaving his sisters room, Jack was in the living room with Carey, watching an old movie on T.V. while IMing with Gabe on Fi's confiscated laptop. Suddenly, Carey heard a THUD coming from the direction of Fi's room. 

"What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" Jack replied, too engrossed in his conversation to pay attention to anything else.

"Never mind; I'll go check on Fi," he said, getting off the couch and hobbling away without his crutches.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting that leg?" Jack asked, looking up from the laptop.

"Did that. Got bored," he called while knocking on Fiona's door.

"You shouldn't be getting bored, though," Carey commented from Fi's room.

"Why's that?" Jack asked, absent mindedly.

"The prisoner has escaped."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, annoyed that Carey wouldn't give him a straight answer.

"Look," Carey beckoned, "I heard a thud from in here... there's an open window, a note, and no Fi."

Jack typed a rushed goodbye to Gabe and investigated his sister's room. Lying on top of an old book from one of his aunt's plays, a short note read:

_Jack, _

_Since you're probably not bright enough to figure it out on your own, I've left. Don't even think of going for the whole knight-in-shining-armor act this time because it'll be impossible for you to find me. _

_- Fiona_

"This can't be real," Jack said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well, obviously it is; she's not here!" Carey told him.

"No, I mean this doesn't look like Fi's handwriting..." he said while re-reading the note and comparing it to a notebook he found at her desk, "The _e'_s and _r_'s are different."

"But if Fi didn't write this, then who did?" Carey questioned, "Nobody else was in the house, we would have known. And you were just in here talking to her, did you see this?"

Jack thought for a moment before replying, "No, but..." his voice trailed off as he got an idea. His sister was pretty amused that he grounded her, she might have set this up as a joke. So Jack searched under the bed and in the closet to no avail. His sister was gone.

"What are we gonna do?" Carey asked him.

"Well, I don't wanna call the police. The social worker told me that if we get into any trouble involving the police, it'll be a reason to send Fi to social services. I guess I should just call her friends to see if they've seen her." Jack said.

"Good plan, Jack," Carey said supportively, "Only I have a question for you: Do you even know any of her friends phone numbers?"

"No, but I have her laptop and when I took it, she was still logged onto the Internet. I can use that," he replied.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Carey asked.

* * *

About 30 minutes after the discovery of Fi's absence, Rebecca arrived to help Jack and Carey figure out where Fi might be. Jack told her the conversation he had with his sister before her disappearance and showed Rebecca the note. 

"Hmmm... interesting," Rebecca said, slyly.

"What is?" Jack questioned, uncertain that he wanted to know the answer.

"Well, in both the conversation and the note, Fi teased you about being a 'knight' and _'playing_ hero'... and those dreams you've been having were about--"

"A knight in a castle, I know," Jack said impatiently, "But what does that have to do with Fi?"

"Everything," she told him, "I told you to look after her for a reason, you know."

Rebecca's brown eyes bore into Jack's blue eyes and Jack received a vision similar to his dreams. He was walking down a long, dim, cold hallway with pictures of his mom's side of the family hanging on stone walls. He saw a black, billowing curtain and pulled it back. He found himself facing a mirror, showing the reflection of...

"No..." Jack whispered with his eyes closed, "Make it stop, make it stop!"

When he finally opened his eyes, Jack found himself back in his living room. "What the heck was that?" he asked.

"That was insane!" Carey said, "You looked like you were in a trance."

"_That_ was telepathy," Rebecca told him.

"But... no, there's no such thing," Jack said.

"Do you want to save your sister?" she asked him.

"Of course I do!" he exclaimed.

"Then you must first believe in yourself," she advised.

"But can't you tell me--"

"I've already told you more than I should've. Besides, you know this already; you don't need me to help figure it out."

Jack stared at her blankly.

"Okay," she sighed, "What did you see in your dream?"

"Me... I was a..." a sudden look of amazement and confusion spread across his face, "Are you trying to tell me that I'm really a knight?"

"You _were _a knight," Rebecca corrected.

"What do you mean by 'were'?" he asked.

Rebecca hesitated for a moment before telling him, "You'll know soon enough. Now that you know the truth about yourself, let's work on tracking down Fi."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry if the first half of the chapter was a little confusing, seeing as how the last chapter left off. Next chapter you'll find out what happened to Fi. 


	11. Awakening

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _So Weird_, it would still be on air, or at least on DVD. It isn't, so I obviously don't own it.

While Jack and Clu were talking to Rebecca, the real Fiona Phillips had just awoken from the darkness. She looked around and saw that she was in her room and the spunkie was gone without a trace. She was about to rush to find Jack and Carey to see if they noticed anything when the door opened and a blonde girl walked in followed by Clu.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" Fi asked, first indicating the blonde and then Clu, who should have been at college.

"Hi, Fi. It's Annie Thelen," the blonde girl, Annie, said confused, "We met last night, remember?"

"Yeah, Fi. Annie came with her mom to visit last night. What's with you, acting like you don't want me around?" Clu said.

"Umm... nothing. I just... forgot," she said, lamely.

"Right..." Clu said

"Anyways, you wanna go bike riding with us?" Annie asked.

"No thanks, I kind of have to meet somebody."

After Clu and Annie left, Fi went in search of her brother. Before she found him, she ran into Carey, who was rummaging through the refrigerator without any crutches.

_This is getting too weird_, Fi thought, but she was determined to find out what happened.

"Hey, Carey," she asked casually, "Have you seen Jack around?"

Keeping his eyes focused on the food, he answered, "No... he's away visiting Gabe, remember? He won't be back for another week."

Fi's eyes widened. Whenever things got too weird for her to handle, she had always relied on Jack to bring her back to reality. And now, just when she needed him most, he was gone.

"Great. Now what?" she said quietly.

"If you need to talk to him that badly, just call him," Carey suggested.

"I don't know the number!" Fi exclaimed.

Carey closed the refrigerator door, pointed at a piece of paper held on it by a lighthouse magnet and said, "There's the number. Same place as it's been for, like, the past month. And look on the counter and you'll see the phone."

"Oh, right... I knew that," Fi told him sheepishly.

After Carey left the room, Fi tore the slip of paper off the fridge, picked up the phone and dialed the number scribbled on the paper.

"Hey, this Jack..."

"Jack!" Fi exlaimed the sound of her brother's voice, "You gotta help m--"

"... right now but leave a message and I'll get back to you."

Fi's heart sank and she didn't even bother to leave a message. What was wrong with the world, she wondered. She was still in her own house, with people she knew-- with the exception of that Annie girl, yet Fi felt completely lost. She decided to go to the garage to catch up with Clu and Annie and go bike riding to see if the rest of Hope Springs felt normal.

Just as Fi stepped outside, she could see a familiar figure in the distance. "Mommy," Fi murmured, unsure if this was real or not. When her mother came into a clearer view, Fiona couldn't have cared less if this was a dream, a trap, or reality. All that mattered was that she could see her mother again.

Without thinking, Fi ran to her mom, hugged her tightly, and told her how much she missed her.

"Missed me?" Molly asked her daughter, "We've only been gone twenty minutes."

Then Fiona realized that her mom was accompanied by a blonde woman who wasn't Irene.

"It felt like you were gone a lot longer," Fi commented, "Where were you, anyway?"

"Shopping," she replied, holding up plastic bags filled with clothes, "I told you that earlier, honey, don't you remember?"

Fiona knew that it would seem to everyone else that she was being unusually forgetful, so she lied and told her mother, "Ummm... actually I tripped and hit my head on my desk. I guess I just lost some of my memory for a bit."

"Are you okay?" her mother questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It just feels weird not to know what's going on," Fi said truthfully.

Molly guided her guest and her daughter inside and dropped the bags of clothing on the floor. Turning to the blonde lady, she said, "Lisa, would you mind giving me some time alone with my daughter?"

After Lisa left, Molly was about to ask Fi a question but the telephone rang before she could. Molly briefly left the room to answer the phone before calling Fi into the kitchen. Hanging up the phone, she said, "That was Jack. He said somebody from the house called him. Was it you?"

"Oh, yeah. After I fell I was kind of confused and just wanted to talk to someone," Fi answered.

"Confused? Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?" her mom said with concern in her voice.

Fi smiled and reassured her mother that she was fine and maybe she just needed some fresh air. Fiona stepped outside to walk off the excitement that was bubbling inside her from seeing her mother again.

Fi was about to walk back inside to help her mom make dinner when she felt someone yank her behind a large bush. She was shocked to find herself facing her older brother.

"Jack? How--when did you..." Fi stammered, flabbergasted. _Wasn't he just on the phone talking to_ _mom?_ Fi wondered.

Jack smiled and said, "It's good to see you, too, sis."

"But how are you here?" Fi asked.

"It's a long story," he told her, "I'll tell you when we get back, but right now we gotta leave."

"What are you talking about?" Fi asked him, "We're home and mom's home... and back to where?"

"Fi, this isn't real. Mom's dead, remember?"

Fi shook her head, "But she's here. I don't want to lose her again."

"Fi, you already lost her. Living in this fantasy world won't bring her back," Jack reasoned.

"This can't be a fantasy... I didn't know those blonde people, Annie and Lisa. If this is a fantasy, how am I imagining people I've never met?" Fi asked him.

"I don't know, but you can't stay here," Jack said.

"And why not?" Fi asked him with her arms crossed in front of her, as though daring him to try to take her away.

"Because you don't belong here," he said patiently.

Fi shook her head and whispered, "You're not my brother. The real Jack would never in a million years suggest that something out of the ordinary was going on."

"I know I wouldn't, but you have to trust me," Jack pleaded.

Fi let out a small laugh, "Trust you? Who are you? Or better yet,_ what_ are you?"

"Supposedly, a reincarnated knight," he replied, "And I'm definitely your brother."

"Yeah, right," Fi murmured sarcastically as she turned to leave.

"Fi, don't go back in there! The longer you stay, the harder it'll be to leave," Jack warned, "You've already been gone a whole week."

"A week? I just woke up barely an hour ago!" Fi exclaimed, "This is nuts, even for me. I'm just gonna go back inside, and pretend this didn't happen."

Before Jack could stop her, Fiona ran back into the house.

* * *

Jack spent most of the next two days in the woods behind his backyard, keeping an eye on everyone in the house from a distance. He felt like a stalker, hiding out, watching his family and friends, but he knew that none of this was real. He just had to convince his sister of that, which was quite difficult since she had steered clear of the backyard since their last meeting. 

Jack thought about entering the house and speaking to his sister there, but he knew that he couldn't do that. If he did, he didn't know if he would be affected by the enchantment that had ensnared his sister. Besides, he had already been warned about the dangers of messing around in different times or dimensions and Jack wasn't about to do anything that could get him or his sister killed.

Jack was just thinking about a way he could possibly lure his sister away from that dream home when she came running from the house towards the large bush where they last met. Jack hurried to meet her there and asked, "Fi, are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine," she replied in a gloomy voice, "But mom just told me that she's gonna let me stay at Aunt Melinda's for a year while she goes on tour and Annie's gonna take my room on the bus. Mom said that this is what I wanted since I gave up on weird stuff, but this just doesn't feel right..."

"That's because this isn't right," Jack told her, "Fi, we're in another dimension. A dimension that shows what life would be like if mom hadn't died. But we don't belong here and we have to go back to where we do belong."

Fi sighed and said, "I knew this was too good to be true, but I don't want to leave."

"I know, but we have to. We have more important things to worry about," Jack said.

"But you still haven't told me--"

"I'll tell you everything later," Jack interrupted, "It isn't safe here. We better go before--"

Jack was cut off by a sudden flash of green light as time seemed to freeze. Fi groaned as she realized that she was in the Nexus and that had to mean that a mischievous spunkie was nearby.

Sure enough, the will o' the wisp floated out from behind the bush and said, "Leaving already? I thought living a normal life was what you wanted. Go off to live with your aunt in Seattle, and I can guarantee that no evil spirit will ever bother you again. All you have to do is read that incantation I showed you and get rid of that old ring."

"Why are you doing this?" Fi asked, suspicious of Bricriu's actions. She knew better than to believe that the spunkie really wanted to help her since he never did anything that would benefit anybody but himself.

"Well, Little Duck, we've become such good friends over our previous encounters and I would hate to see you living so miserable, with all those paranormal interruptions," he said.

"I don't trust you," Fi told him, "Every time you show up in my life, bad things happen. Why should I do what you want?"

"But it isn't what I want," Bricriu replied, "It's what _you_ want. You've been whining about how much you want a normal life because you blame evil spirits for the death of your parents, have you not?"

"How do you know that? I never said any of that out loud!"

"You learn a lot about people when you possess them," Bricriu said.

"But when..." Fi trailed off as a look of realization crossed over her face, "You brought me here."

"Very good, Little Duck. Of course, you do realize that since I was the one who brought you here, I'm the only one who can bring you back to your former life."

Fi shook her head, "No... if that were true, you would have just left me here. You wouldn't have asked me if this is what I wanted."

"I don't need to ask you, whether you admit it or not, this life is what you want," Bricriu said before circling around the frozen form of Jack, "It's what he's always wanted too; a normal sister who didn't get involved with unusual circumstances. And after all, you don't even know if this is the real Jack."

Fi bit her lower lip as she thought about everything the spunkie was saying. This was her one shot of having a normal life and although it meant her mother would live, it didn't make a difference because Fi would be living with her aunt in Seattle.

"If I agree to stay here, would I still be able to talk to my family?" she asked.

"That would be entirely up to you," Bricriu replied.

"And what about everything that happened before... in my former life?"

"What about it? You'll remember most of it and a few things that haven't really happened to you, but in this life have," he told her.

"Don't do it, Fi!" Jack shouted.

Fi's eyes widened in surprise, "Jack, what happened? You're... not frozen..."

"That's because I have this," Jack said as he pulled out the angel necklace he got from Gabe, "Come on, Fi, let's get outta here."

He grabbed his sister's arm, but Fiona pulled back, shaking her head.

"I'm not going with either of you until I find out exactly what's going on!" she shouted, glaring at both of them.

"Well, then, Little Duck, it looks like we'll be here awhile..." Bricriu responded.


	12. Confusion

**Disclaimer:** Same as always, not mine.

"What do you mean?" Fiona asked, "Tell me what's happening!"

"Why don't you just consult that magic mirror of yours?" Bricriu asked.

"My laptop... I haven't even seen it since... Oh, I don't even know when," Fiona groaned.

"I know where it is," Jack told her, "But you're gonna have to trust me to get to it."

Fiona took a step back, looked between her brother, the spunkie, and looked back on the house before saying anything. Reaching a decision, she whispered, "I don't trust any of you. I'll just figure everything out on my own." She then started to walk away from them and towards the rest of Hope Springs.

Jack immediately followed her, but Bricriu only muttered three simple words, "Foolish Little Duck."

When Fi realized that Jack was tailing her, she broke into a run and soon regretted it. One moment she was running through a neighbors yard, the next she found herself nearly stumbling off a familiar rooftop.

Fi spun around and found herself face to face with the same three-headed demon that had knocked her off the roof months ago.

"Not this again," Fi murmured to herself as she cautiously backed away from the creature. She had no idea how to get herself out of this situation... last time this happened, her father was there to save her.

"That's it!" Fi shouted triumphantly. _I just have to get to the side of the roof and the monster will disappear when daddy comes,_ Fi thought.

Trying to remember the exact spot where she fell last time, Fi walked around the edge of the roof. Fear bubbled inside her as she peered over the edge and saw a busy street so far below.

_Maybe I am going a little crazy_, Fi thought as she climbed over the side of the roof and prayed that her father would come to the rescue.

Fiona held onto the edge as best that she could, but her fingers began to slip. Her heart hammered with fear as she silently willed her father to come for her. Fi's fingers slipped a little more and with a horrible jolt in her stomach, Fiona realized that her father wasn't coming. A wave of panic washed over her and Fi screamed for help as loud as she could. She kicked at the wall and tried to pull herself back up onto the roof to no avail. Her fingers slid a little further and Fiona became certain that she was about to fall to her death. Just as she began to give up all hope of survival, she felt somebody grab her. Her fingers slid off the very edge of the roof as someone pulled her through a window, back into the building. Fi fell onto the floor, thankful to be alive.

"Fiona, what did you think you were doing?" a familiar voice demanded to know. The owner of the voice helped her up and Fi realized that it was her brother who had saved her.

"I-I don't know... The demon thing was on the roof, so I thought daddy would come like last time..." she stammered.

"Fiona, what are you talking about? Did you hit your head or something?" Jack asked.

"I-I'm f-fine," Fi stuttered although she was anything but. She was still shaking from the encounter on the roof and she was too confused to be fine. She kept jumping from one scene to another... like how the spunkie... "Bricriu" Fiona muttered as an idea dawned on her. _He must be doing this,_ she thought, _But why?_

"Fi, are you sure you're okay?" Jack asked as he put his hand on her shoulder to steady her.

Just as Fi was about to answer, the world began to black out around her as she felt herself moving to another scene once again.

* * *

"So are you gonna tell her what happened?" Carey asked back at the Phillips house. 

Jack shook his head, "Nah. When I tried to confront her in the first place I found her in, she didn't even believe it was me. She just ran off and that ball of light thingy took her away again. I wasn't about to make the mistake twice, so when I caught up with her I just acted like I usually do and used the necklace to bring us back when she wasn't paying attention."

"Is she still asleep?" Carey asked.

"Yeah, I think all that jumping around from one place to another exhausted her o-" Jack caught sight of his sister entering the living room "-or not."

Fi sat down on the couch and tiredly asked them what had happened.

"You've been out of it for two days, that's what happened," Jack told her.

"Two days? What happened?" she repeated.

"You tell us," Jack told her, "After I grounded you and took your laptop, Carey checked up on you and you weren't there. We found a note saying you left, so we went to look for you. You were missing for a day before Rebecca found you and told us where you were. She said you slipped and fell, hitting your head and you've been either delirious or sleeping ever since."

"That wasn't what you and Carey were just saying," Fi pointed out.

"You were probably just hearing things," Jack said, "You did hit your head pretty hard. Anyway, it's getting late and you have school tomorrow. Just go back to bed."

Feeling exhausted, Fi nodded and did as she was told.

Once Fiona was out of earshot, Carey spoke. "Why didn't you just tell her the truth?" he asked.

Jack shook his head, "She'd never believe it coming from me."

"Well, what if I told her with you? Or that Rebecca girl?"

"No!" Jack exclaimed angrily, "I don't want her to know what happened. You weren't there, you didn't see it. Fi's my little sister, I know her and I know that if she found out what really happened, she'd never let it go. She would just look for a way to go back and get into even more danger. She's better off just thinking it was a dream or something and forgetting about it."

"Yeah, well, Fi always finds trouble one way or another. How's not knowing about this gonna help her stay out of it?" Carey retorted.

"I don't know," Jack admitted, "But telling her certainly won't help. She can't get into any trouble. She just missed two days of school early in the year; that won't look good to the social worker. And if anyone found out that I just let her sneak out after curfew to go to that warehouse... Fi's always gotten herself into danger, but it's especially risky now. I just want to keep her safe."

Carey nodded as though he understood. "I'm really sorry about your mom. You've always seemed to have your hands full, looking out for Fi on the road when your mom was at the studio or something. It must be a lot harder now, having to handle her just on your own. I know if we were a few years younger and I'd have to take care of Clu, I'd go insane. Even though I'm gonna be joining that band and going on tour once my leg heals, you can always call me if you need help or just want to talk. I think that goes for the rest of my family too. If you ever need us, just pick up the phone and give us a call."

"Thanks. I just wish that you guys didn't move... After being on tour all that time, you guys are were like family to me and Fi. But now, Clu's away at college, you'll be on tour once you can walk again, your parents have moved away... I know you want to help, but you can't. Phone calls help, but I don't think they'll fix anything. Me and Fi are on our own now. It'll be hard, but we'll manage just like we always have," Jack responded.

"Still... Try to keep in touch. You know me and Clu will visit whenever we can. And my parents won't just abandon you guys so expect a lot of mail from them," Carey said.

Jack nodded and then yawned. "It's late," he commented, "I'm going to bed. You probably should too."


End file.
